Lesson 1.2

Section 2 Introduction

Inquiry into the Issue

Globalization has over 24 million results when it is entered as a key word in a search engine. Think of why this term has such a presence globally. Most people connect globalization to the business of economics and business. What does globalization have to do with individuals?

Examine the cartoon. Can you identify with the experiences? Is your own perspective positive or negative when you think of globalization? If you were to personalize this cartoon from your everyday life, what changes in the cartoon bubbles or illustrations would you make?

Section 2 - Lesson 1—Forces of Globalization

Lesson 1—Forces of Globalization

How does globalization affect economic, social, and political aspects of our lives?

Trade, communication, and technology have increased global interactions. The process of globalization is very complex. You will find diverse understandings and reactions for this concept. Read the textbook to begin with an understanding of what globalization is. Many people think of globalization as an economic force, but there are also social and political aspects. Write down how globalization is defined and what forces of globalization are evident in the lives of people. Check your answers prior to beginning the Explore. These understandings will help you to further examine the relationship between identity and globalization.

Read

Examine the diagram “Economic, Social, and Political Globalization” on page 6 in Perspectives on Globalization.

Section 2 - Lesson 1 Continued

What global contacts and connections exist?

Contact with communities outside of your borders is not just a twenty-first-century activity. For economic, political, and social reasons, members of diverse communities established contact and relationships that fostered trade and the exchange of ideas, beliefs, and traditions.

Click on the links below to explore how people and products are linked around the world.

The world, my cola, and my hamburger

Africa's history and global connections

Historical global connections made by China (Learn Alberta password)

Examine the trade routes of steam ships through the Panama Canal. What global contact was established in 1912?

Examine the map. Identify the global contacts connected to manufacturing regions.

Section 2 Lesson 1 Continued

What are globalizing forces and their impacts?

In varying degrees, these global contacts and connections influence social, political, and economic aspects of your life. For many, the global connections are evidence of globalization at work. Globalization may drastically change the ways of life of a community and cause the loss of tradition, language, and sovereignty. On the other side of the debate, globalization can offer the opportunity to a generation of people of a better quality of life at a much more rapid rate than ever before in history. Gather some background on what these globalization influences are and how they impact people. You will further explore in the next module whether these influences are opportunities or challenges to the identities and citizenship of people.

Read

Read pages 9 to 23 in Perspectives on Globalization.

Assignment

See Globalizing Forces and Their Impacts Assignment  for your assignment.

Section Summary and Glossary

People and activity shape globalization and in turn, globalization shapes people and their ways of life. Globalization began when individuals and nations established contact outside of their borders. These contacts resulted in the exchange of goods, services, and ideas. As trade grew in importance amongst individuals and nations, globalization increased. Globalization rapidly connects people globally as technology in communication, transportation, and production increase the speed and quantity of global contacts. Globalization is now considered a force that has evolved and continues to evolve. It can appear as an economic, social, or political force with impacts on economic, social, and political dimensions of people’s lives and identities.

Forces of economic, social, and/or political globalization are influences from beyond the borders of communities. For Canadians, globalization can have little or immense impact on their daily lives and who they are. Globalization can become a tool to preserve or sustain distinct cultures and languages, or it can eventually erase unique characteristics of a community as people increasingly share similar aspects of daily life with other communities. It is important to determine to what extent people should embrace globalization both for those who value their distinct identity and for those who believe that one shared global identity is vital to ensuring a quality of life for all citizens of the world.

economic: related to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

political: related to government, authority, and the carrying out of actions on behalf of the citizens

quality of life: social, economic, and political conditions that contribute to the satisfaction people have with their lives

The struggle to access food, clothing, and shelter may reflect a low quality of life. A high quality of life may reflect the balance between work and leisure.

social: related to the interaction between individuals and groups

sovereignty: authority or power to rule